1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to electronic security/monitor systems for firearms.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is not uncommon for individuals to have weapons or firearms in their residences or other locations for security or protective purposes. For such a purpose, the weapon must be reasonably quickly available for use for its intended purpose. However, if there are children or other people who might have unauthorized access to the weapon, safety has been a very important concern. There are thus two competing and often contradictory considerations which must be taken into account.
One approach, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,019 is to provide an audible alarm on the holster or storage receptacle. The alarm is activated if an attempt is made to open the holster to remove the weapon. However, at times it might be necessary for safety or protective reasons, such as an intruder in one's dwelling, to unholster the weapon. In such a case, the alarm could give away the location of the weapon and the person attempting to use it. A key-operated lock-out switch could be provided as an attempted protective feature against this, but keeping track of the key was a problem. Keys can and are often lost or misplaced. If the key were kept with the weapon, the protective feature could be easily defeated by an unauthorized user. If the key were kept separated form the weapon and a need arose to unholster the weapon, the alarm gave away the weapon holder's location.
The other approach was to provide relatively unhindered access to the weapon for use when needed, notifying a central location when the weapon was unholstered. U.S. Pat. No. 3,530,451 was an example of such an approach, usually intended for situations where the person with access to the weapon was an experienced gun handler, such as a law enforcement officer or security guard. In this type of alarm, an indication was sent by radio to a central office or location when the weapon was unholstered. However, since the intended user of such an alarm system was an experienced gun handler, no provision was made to restrict physical removal of the weapon from the holster. Typically, the activating mechanism for the alarm was located in a manner to either facilitate or at least not hinder weapon removal. In effect, there was no suitable provision for protection against unauthorized weapon removal. Additionally, the need for an ability to easily remove the weapon in emergency or dangerous situations made it apparently inadvisable to otherwise impede removal of the weapon from the holster.